


A Holiday in Edinburgh

by rileypotter17



Category: Game of Thrones (TV), The Holiday (2006)
Genre: #modernau #jorahanddanyinedinburgh #theholiday, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-13
Updated: 2019-12-13
Packaged: 2021-02-26 03:41:28
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,018
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21776953
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rileypotter17/pseuds/rileypotter17
Summary: Daenerys Targaryen, fed up with her life in Los Angeles, books a spontaneous holiday trip to Edinburgh to get away from it all. But what, or rather who, she finds there will change all of her Christmas plans. Loosely based on The Holiday (2006).
Relationships: Jorah Mormont/Daenerys Targaryen
Comments: 36
Kudos: 71
Collections: A song of frosted bear kisses and dragon roasted chestnuts





	A Holiday in Edinburgh

**Author's Note:**

> Posting this a bit early because my work schedule is crazy tomorrow and I don't want to make you all wait until the evening, but I hope you all enjoy!
> 
> I just have to say that this entire collection is incredible and has made my December fantastic. I am humbled to be part of this, surrounded by so many extremely talented writers and contributors that are leaps and bounds more eloquent about Jorleesi, but I present to you my little one-shot on lucky day 13! 
> 
> Thank you so much for reading! xo

“Okay, now what?” Daenerys Targaryen asked herself as she looked around the tiny cottage in Edinburgh. It wasn’t as close to the city proper as she had expected, and the cab ride took her through small, one-lane roads out into snow-packed small properties spaced by ample gardens.

The two-bedroom house looked like something out a storybook, with frozen vines crawling up the exposed brick outside and a small, iced loch not far off in the distance. It was lived-in, which she expected from an AirBnB, but decorated nicely. It felt like, in another life, it could be her home. The picturesque surroundings weren’t enough to quell her inner doubts. She set her bag down and wondered if this had all been a huge mistake.

In the span of three days she had broken up with her boyfriend and upended all of her holiday plans to escape to the furthest place North she could think of, bar the Arctic circle, for Christmas. She had two weeks out of work and after finding the idyllic listing, immediately booked her flight and left Los Angeles.

Two weeks in Scotland wasn’t going to fix everything, she knew that. But she had a nasty habit of running away from her problems and this last-minute trip was a prime example of her often-self-destructive behavior.

Daenerys wandered into the kitchen and found a kettle to make herself some tea. The house had an inherent charm and an incredible bookshelf, but she was realizing she had no other plans to occupy herself out in the middle of the freezing cold country covered in a thick layer of snow that a California girl wasn’t used to. She had only brought one coat with her, a result of both haste and poor-planning.

Maybe she could stay inside and learn to meditate while she was there?

As the water started to boil in the kettle, she checked her phone – not great service. There was a text message from her best friend, Missy, who said she was proud of her for doing what was best for her. That was a start – at least someone was on her side.

Daenerys and her boyfriend – now _ex_ -boyfriend, Jon Snow, had been together for a little over a year before she ended things. He was an actor and she worked in marketing and they met at an expensive bar in downtown LA. There was an instant attraction because of their shared interests and it quickly turned into him moving into her apartment. Despite the fact that he labeled himself an ‘actor’, Jon wasn’t a very good one and his gigs were too few and far between to garner him a sustainable paycheck. What started out as a temporary arrangement became Daenerys supporting him outright. At first she was fine with it because she thought they were going to go somewhere...but in the last few months she realized she had fallen out of love with him, and wondered if she had even been in love with him in the first place. He was narcissistic and unintelligent and frankly, boring. And he was bleeding her dry.

She hadn’t handled her realization well. After an incredibly stressful day at work and then shit from her idiot of a brother, Viserys, about holiday plans and guilt over her and Jon choosing to spend them with his family and not him, who was all she had left, Daenerys snapped.

She rather coldly told Jon that she was no longer interested in him and that she was leaving for the holidays without him. After quickly booking the trip, she told him he had until the third of January to be out of her place, which was when she was due to return, and she wished him the best of his luck in his career because he was going to need it.

He had fallen apart right then and there, crying over how he felt she was ‘the one’ for him. It felt odd to her that he had never shed a single tear in their relationship until he was losing her, and she had already emotionally moved on. She was flourishing in her career and wanted to flourish in her personal life as well, and deep down, she knew he wasn’t the one she wanted to share her growth and accomplishments with.

Missy had wisely guessed that deep down, Daenerys had been looking for a way out of her relationship with Jon, and the stress of everything had finally given her an excuse and the nerve to end it. But as much as her best friend was right, and as much as she felt relieved to be rid of Jon, Daenerys still felt scared.

She was incredibly independent, strong-willed, and free-spirited in most aspects of life– but one thing she hated was being alone, especially around the holidays.

She always partnered up during cuffing season. For her, it was nice to have someone to go to the office Christmas party with and snuggle up with on the rare rainy California day in the winter. Last year it had been with Jon, the year before it had been with Daario, a one-night stand that turned into a two-week stand lasting from right before Christmas through the New Year, and the year before that was with her last semi-serious boyfriend, Drogo.

Being alone on Christmas was going to be a very unique experience for her.

The kettle started to whistle, and she grabbed a mug from the cupboard. With a steaming cuppa in her hands, Daenerys walked towards the windows and looked out at the pictorial, snow-covered front lawn of the cottage and the little town just off in the distance.

Her stomach growled – she really hadn’t planned this out. She had hardly any warm clothes, and no food beyond biscuits in the house and it was starting to get dark. Uber wasn’t exactly a thing out there – the cabbie had whinged enough about taking her so far out of the city, so she was really hoping there was a pub in the small town.

As the sun threatened to set completely, Daenerys drank down the rest of her tea to warm herself up from the inside, shrugged back on her coat and wrapped the scarf that was so thin it was no more than a mere fashion accessory around her neck before stepping back outside.

She instantly started to shiver and was thankful there wasn’t any wind as she walked down the pathway from the cottage to the street and then turned left towards the town, her hands shoved deep in the pockets of her coat as she carefully maneuvered through icy patches of the road, nearly slipping a few times in her heeled, knee-high leather boots. Her boots were perfect for showing off in the pseudo-winter of California but were a downright safety hazard in Edinburgh.

After a few minutes of walking, she reached the little town. There was a tiny church, with its steeple covered in a dusting of snow, a few shops that were closing up, a tea room, a post office, a small grocer, a bank, and in the middle of it all, a town square that she imagined was usually filled with the village children playing with their friends and dogs in the springtime. It was more charming than she thought possible, and as she turned, her eyes lit up and she sighed in relief – _a pub_.

Daenerys saw the warm lights from within the pub called ‘The Bear and Crown’ and was soon inside, settled into a small booth with a menu, looking around at the other patrons.

Judging by what she had seen of the town so far, and how tiny it was, she figured that most of the residents that weren’t snug in their homes were here, as most of the tables and bar stools were filled. Daenerys ordered a meat pie from the motherly waitress and undid her scarf, warming from the roaring fire heating the restaurant.

Maybe this wasn’t so bad, after all, Daenerys thought to herself. She found food quite easily, everyone seemed nice, and Jon Snow, Viserys, and the terrible Los Angeles traffic were all very, very far away. If it wasn’t actively snowing in the morning, she was already planning on walking back into town, and catching a cab or bus back down to Edinburgh proper to explore there. When she had arrived at the airport, she saw an incredible Christmas market in the distance with a huge ferris-wheel that she was dying to see.

The steaming hot steak and kidney pie warmed Daenerys’ belly and after she squared up the tab, she decided to stay a little longer and have a pint at the bar. She slipped onto one of the barstools, the only empty one where the bar started to curve and the kind bartender poured her a glass of dark stout, saying it would help warm her up.

“Aye, whisky will warm you up faster. We’ll get you some of that next.” Daenerys turned to her right, towards the thick Scottish accent addressing her. She found it was coming from a man in his early fifties, with arresting blue eyes, high cheekbones with a bit of stubble, and gingery blonde hair. He was nursing a glass of whisky with no ice and the dark blue sweater he was wearing looked so touchable, she almost wanted to reach her hand out.

There was no getting around it --- he was _hot,_ regardless that he was likely twenty years older than her. The smile on his face as he looked at her accentuated the small crinkles at the corner of his eyes and made him look kind and approachable and she was suddenly very glad she had come to Edinburgh after all.

“I think I’ll take you up on that. My name is Daenerys,” she introduced herself, pushing her silvery blonde hair back behind on ear, her nervous tick, before taking a sip of her beer.

“Jorah,” he followed, “I know everyone in this town, and I don’t know you. Where are you visiting from?”

“California.”

“Very far from home, then.” He looked her in the eyes and kept his gaze there for a moment, “Why did you choose to come all the way out here?”

“It’s quite a long, and probably boring, story,” she shrugged.

“In case you haven’t realized, its freezing outside and none of us have anything better to do than drink in here. I think I have time for a long and boring story,” he smiled.

Was he flirting? It made her heart jump. She had barely been in Scotland for twenty-four hours and here was this slightly rugged, very handsome man possibly flirting with her in a quaint little pub in the middle of nowhere.

The prospect of it was thrilling, but she also felt a bit guilty. She hadn’t hopped on a plane to go halfway across the world to meet a guy when she was really trying to re-center herself and get away from her problems, which included men. In fact, she had vehemently sworn off men to everyone within earshot in the ladies restroom in Terminal 3.

“Well,” Daenerys began, “This whole trip was very last minute. I decided I didn’t want to spend Christmas in Los Angeles with my annoying brother or my boyfriend, so I broke up with him, booked a little cottage in the most remote but still appealing place I could find, and then got on a plane. And then I realized I had no food so I nearly slid down the street and found this pub.”

“A rather short story, actually. And certainly not boring,” Jorah said. She liked the timbre of his voice mixed with his accent. It made her feel as warm as the fire in the pub did. “And do you know anyone here?”

“Not a soul. Except now you.”

Jorah smiled. She liked his smile and wanted him to always be looking at her when he did it, “Lucky you. A whisky for the lady and another for me.”

The bartender removed Daenerys’ empty pint glass and replaced it with lowball glass before pouring them each more than two fingers’ worth of whisky.

Jorah gently touched his glass to hers before bringing it to his lips. She did the same and found the amber liquid as warming as he promised.

“So, I’m a bit confused...you say you broke up with your brother or your boyfriend?” Jorah continued, a teasing lilt to his voice and she blushed.

“Boyfriend. Although if I could sever ties with my brother, I would. But family is always a bit more complicated.”

“Aye, you’ve got that right. It’s my father for me,” he shared, not wanting her to feel vulnerable so he offered a bit of himself up in return, “And you are staying through Christmas?”

“Until a few days after the new year. Ridiculous, isn’t it?” Daenerys looked up at him and realized she was looking for reassurance on her decision. It didn’t matter that he was almost a stranger, “Coming out here to spend Christmas and New Year’s alone. Who does that?”

“You, apparently.” He was now solely focused on her, having turned his torso towards her, “And me. It isn’t ridiculous if it makes you happy.”

Daenerys took another sip of the whisky and felt the alcohol start to go to her head. She wasn’t used to anything more than vodka sodas back home and even then, she could tolerate about one before getting tipsy, being so petite, “So what is your sob story, Jorah? How could a man like you be spending Christmas alone?”

He quirked an eyebrow up, “A man like me?”

A pretty blush tinged Daenerys’ creamy skin again and he waited until she found her words, “A handsome man who wears really nice sweaters and seems like he probably has his life together. Unlike myself, who couldn’t even think to look at a weather forecast before packing.” Daenerys referenced her thin sweater dress.

“I appreciate the compliment, but I am far from having my life together, Daenerys. If I had my life together, I’d most likely be at home right now, decorating a Christmas tree with my children and cooking dinner with my wife.” There was a tiny bit of regret in his voice and a trace of anger as well.

“So...you don’t have kids, or a wife?”

Jorah’s smile returned, “If you are trying to ask if I am single, then yes, I am.”

Instead of immediately replying, she took another sip of her drink, going through it faster than he was, “I’m sorry if you didn’t want to talk about it.”

“It’s not worth mentioning. Not now, anyway. What I really want to go back to is when you called me handsome.”

“I did.”

“You did.”

They both looked at one another, the kind of punch-drunk look of two people caught in instant attraction.

“Jorah...”

“Look, Daenerys,” they spoke at the same time and she let him continue, “I don’t want you to get the wrong impression. I’m not some sleazy guy who hangs out in the local pub and tries to pick up on girls from America, or anyone really.” She had done most of the blushing during their conversation, but now he looked distinctly embarrassed.

Around them, the chatter of all the other patrons was starting to border on deafening as meals stopped being served and they entered into the later evening, with more and more locals seeking refuge from the cold and for something to do in the isolated town.

“I didn’t once get that impression from you,” she promised him.

“I want you to tell me if it’s too forward if I walk you back to where you are staying...I mean, when you are ready. _If_ you are ready...” he had seemed so confident at first, but now that the spark was starting to kindle between them, she could sense his nervousness. She felt it too, like they were on the edge of something she couldn’t quite put her finger on. The pub was a safe space to stay and flirt, but if they left together...

“I was going to ask you if you could, honestly,” she nodded, “I know the crime rate here is probably in the negative, but it’s dark...”

“It _is_ dark. _And_ cold. And if you don’t have a better coat, you’ll get sick. Come on then,” Jorah settled the tab and offered her his hand as he stood up. When his warm, rough one enveloped her tiny one, he led her over to the door, helping her put her coat on and then wrapping her in his coat after that. She looked silly with the extra over-sized layer, but he insisted.

They stepped outside into little snow flurries and darkness. There were only a few lights around the town square, and he offered her his arm to hold onto, telling her to lead the way.

Daenerys was glad the town was easy to navigate, even in the dark – with only a few narrow roadways leading outwards from the town center towards the rows of little suburban cottages. The pair walked in silence for a while. She was shocked by the intensity of the cold, even under her new layers, and he was stunned that he was walking a beautiful woman home so late at night – it had been quite a while since he had the pleasure.

“I think that’s me...” Daenerys said, squinting at the peaceful houses up on their right. The fresh dusting of snow made them look like a gingerbread village.

“Which one?” Jorah asked, his pulse starting to quicken as he started to put things together.

“I think it’s that one, the little blue one.” Daenerys said, more confidently this time as they got closer and suddenly Jorah chuckled.

“You are staying in my cousin Lyanna’s house.” He informed her. It made sense – Lyanna usually spent Christmas with him, being that they were the only two Mormonts who could stand one another, but this year she wanted to be somewhere warmer and he couldn’t blame her. He knew she had listed the cottage on AirBnB but didn’t realize there had been a taker.

“Really?” Daenerys’ eyes lit up as they stopped at the gate of the cottage together. She still held onto his arm, shivering slightly.

“Yes, and that makes you my new neighbor through the New Year...” he looked down at her, smiling at the confusion etched across her features.

“No...you live next door...to your cousin?”

“It’s a family lot. One of the few good things my father has done for us. It’s nice to always have someone around. I think you would like her,” Jorah mused as they both looked between the two cottages, nearly identical. One blue and one grey. “Let’s get you inside.”

Jorah unlatched the small gate and walked with her up the snowy cobblestone pathway to the front door and Daenerys fumbled around in her purse to find the key. The automatic porch lantern turned on from their movement and after she found the key and opened the door, she turned to look at him. In the brighter light he was able to see just how unique her violet eyes were. The darkness of the pub hadn’t done them any justice.

“Tonight was nice. I’m glad I know someone here...and that you are my neighbor.” She lingered on the threshold and he stepped closer. Both of them were still a little buzzed from the whisky.

“What are you going to do tomorrow?” he asked.

“I think I might go into the city and explore.”

“I’ll take you...I work in the city...” Jorah offered but quickly realized how bold that sounded. She was a woman who clearly didn’t need taking care of. “But if you want to go by yourself, I absolutely understand...” he back-tracked.

“No...I’d like going with you.” She bit her lip. “I’ll see you in the morning then. Goodnight Jorah.”

“Goodnight, Daenerys.” He smiled and she stepped fully into the house and closed the door behind her, leaning against it and taking a deep breath.

She wanted to squeal and scream and dance and she nearly slid down the length of the door in a puddle of disbelief and happiness.

Jorah was incredible – kind, thoughtful, and drop-dead gorgeous. And she had only known him for a few hours. And fate would have it that she happened to rent the AirbNb of his cousin, who lived right next door to him?

She thanked the Gods for her luck. She didn’t know or frankly care if he felt the spark she felt because the crush on him blossoming inside of her was a force to be reckoned with.

But he had to have felt it – it was undeniable. They had clearly been dancing around the instant attraction, unsure of what to do. Hadn’t they?

Daenerys was suddenly snapped out of her reverie when she heard a knock on the door and scrambled to her feet. It had only been a moment and she opened the door to see Jorah standing there, looking flushed.

“Daenerys, I would regret it if I didn’t do this now...” he said and in one quick motion, he pulled her in by the lapels of his coat she was still wearing and kissed her.

Mere seconds later, she had her arms wrapped around his neck as she kissed him back. She felt like she was dreaming and she didn’t want to wake up. Every hair on her body was standing on end and a delicious tingle cut through her straight to her core as they kissed, harder, more frantically with each moment, as if they were both afraid it would end.

She took a step backwards, into the warmth of the house, pulling him along with her, but he stopped.

“Daenerys...if you are wanting the same thing I am right now, please don’t make me do it in my cousin’s bed...” the boyish smile on his face as he parted from her and the glow behind his eyes made her fall for him right then and there.

“Fair enough...” she breathed, pushing him the opposite way out the door before locking up. He held her hand as they ran, giggling and stumbling like teenagers, across the icy lawn to his place, mere steps away.

Once he unlocked the door, he didn’t even bother to turn on the lights, just pushed her against the nearest wall and kissed her again, helping her out of his coat.

She matched his pace, only breaking away from him to pull off his sweater. The thin thermal underneath it clung to his chest and he caught her staring, smirking before he made sure she matched him – helping her strip down to the camisole underneath her dress.

“You are the most gorgeous woman I have ever seen,” he told her, his voice as reverent as if he was saying a prayer. His blue eyes trailed from her boots to her panties to the swell of her breasts and then her beautiful face – her eyes meeting his with a mix of desire and warmth.

Jorah kissed her again and pulled her close, the warmth radiating from him making her forget it was the middle of winter in the north.

She wanted to echo his words at the pub and tell him that she didn’t go around doing this – flying to a different country and hooking up with someone hours after she stepped off a plane.

He wanted to promise her he wasn’t trying to take advantage of her recent breakup. That he didn’t do one-night-stands. That he never let anyone in so easily.

He took her hand and led her down the dark hallway to his bedroom. From what she could see of it, it was snug – his bed covered with a thick quilt that felt soft against her back as he gently laid her down on his bed.

Carefully, he unzipped and slipped off her knee-high boots, baring her skin to him. He took his time as he kissed gently up her calves to her sensitive thighs. He wasn’t fooling himself – Daenerys was a goddess and he intended to show her that.

Daenerys sank into the soft bed, surrounded by Jorah’s smell that lingered in the sheets around her and only served to turn her on more as his stubbled cheeks rubbed against her inner thighs with every searing kiss he bestowed there. When his lips met the warmth of her center, the sensation dulled only slightly by her thin cotton panties, she moaned.

The sounds Daenerys started to make as he slowly pulled her panties down her hips to reveal her to him nearly made him lose himself right then and there. It had been a while since he had been with any woman and there was something about her that made him feel as if he were on fire – burning from the inside out in a way he had never felt with anyone else.

She looked up at him with her wide eyes and her hair splayed out around her like a halo as he stripped of his thermal, undid his belt and then stepped out of his pants. Her eyes wandered down the expanse of his chest, covered in fine golden hair that converged into a line disappearing below the waistband of his black boxer briefs. Her gaze lingered at his bulge, proud and straining against the fabric because of her and it made her impossibly wet.

She sat up on the bed, on her knees as she undressed herself – throwing the camisole onto the floor and her bra after it. This time, Jorah let out a groan as he looked at her, completely naked on his bed, perfect in every way.

His lips were on hers again in an instant and they became a tangle of limbs as they fought to feel every inch of the other, wanting nothing left untouched or un-kissed between them. When he was finally as naked as she, the warmth and silky hardness of his cock against her thigh as she pressed her body against him, caught up in his kiss, made her gasp.

Slowly, Jorah eased himself inside of her and a wave of pleasure rushed through Daenerys unlike anything she had ever felt before. Never had a man, no matter how in love she had thought she was before, made her feel like this. “Jorah...I...”

Daenerys looked up at him as he stilled inside of her, her amethyst eyes meeting his Skye blue ones that were suddenly clouded with concern, “Daenerys?”

“You feel incredible, Jorah...I just wanted to tell you that you are incredible...” she whispered back to him and watched his eyes soften and a smile bloom on his face before he kissed her again and slowly started to thrust inside of her. Both of them moaned against the others’ lips as their bodies met and pulled away over and over again, drawn to one another in a way neither could articulate.

Jorah took his time and explored Daenerys’ body – gently teasing her nipples with his fingers until they pebbled before taking them into his mouth, trailing his fingers down the soft skin between her breasts and her hips, caressing her clit every time he rocked himself forward inside of her. She returned his well-practiced touches with her own – running her hands through the soft gingery curls at the nape of his neck, scratching lightly along his lower back, and finding the most deliciously sensitive spot on his neck to kiss.

They made love as if they had done it a hundred times before, as if their bodies were well-acquainted with the other, imprinted on their soul in a way that was beyond reason or explanation. Each of them knew where to touch, where to kiss, how to move to bring the most pleasure from the other and their simultaneous release was nothing short of earth-shattering.

Daenerys orgasmed, her back arched and Jorah’s name on her lips and he followed her, pressing his lips against her forehead as he lost himself inside of her.

They laid quietly together in the semi-darkness of his bedroom. Jorah pulled Daenerys close and tenderly stroked her cheek before replacing his hand with his lips against her soft skin.

“I don’t know what to say,” Daenerys whispered. She wasn’t at a loss for words. Rather, she had too many things she wanted to say and couldn’t find the right one. Her head was spinning over what they had just done and how good it felt, and her heart was threatening her with falling in love.

“You don’t have to say anything...” Jorah’s calming voice whispered back. He was still catching his breath. What had transpired between the two of them, was, in his humble opinion, nearly spiritual and it scared him that not only his body, but his heart needed this woman who was practically a stranger to him.

“But I want to,” she propped herself up on her arm and looked down at him, her silvery-blonde hair falling in her eyes and she pushed it away. “I know we just met and maybe we rushed that, but I already want to do it again.”

“Daenerys,” he looked up at her with a soft smile, “Not only do I want to do that again, but I want to see where this goes. You and I.”

Daenerys sighed, his words reminding her of the reality of their situation, “I leave Edinburgh in two weeks.”

“Then I have two weeks to get you to fall in love with me and stay. I think I can do that,” Jorah laughed and so did she.

“We’ll see about that...” Daenerys said before kissing him again and he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her back down into the bed. He didn’t know it, but he was already ahead of schedule – she was already falling in love.


End file.
